Amber's Next Time List

---

1. Always give yourself plenty of time when it comes to flights because something almost always comes up.
2. Brink a book, laptop, or dvd player for flights and layovers.
3. Bring a sweatshirt and wear pants on the plane- it always is cold.
4. Pack lighter- I always over pack. I had like 8 pieces of clothing I never used and never once touched my curling iron. Also, most (but not all) hotels have blow dryers.
5. Good, sturdy shoes are a must.
6. Shoe deoderizer spray is a must.
7. If you want soft towels, bring your own.
8. Always bring a back up camera and memory cards (in case one gets dropped in the river while canoeing).
9. Buy a special adapter for small appliances like battery chargers.
10. Our Rick Steves' book was totally worth the money.
11. Budget car rental was great.
12. Try to learn more of the language before the trip.
13. Make sure your GPS will work in other countries and if not, invest in good maps.
14. Don't drop cameras in rivers. (See number 8)
15. Remember to factor drinks and desserts into your meal budget. Soda, juice and even water cost a lot and you'll inevitably always want to try different desserts.
16. A camel-back would come in handy.
17. Don't be afraid of European public restrooms, they are often more clean than US public bathrooms.
18. Driving and parking in the big cities sucks so don't let the car rental company "upgrade" you to a bigger car.
19. There aren't a lot of shoulders on the major highways so if you want to take a picture you will probably just have to do it while you're going 80 mph.
20. Don't buy cheap food in France.
21. Pack especially light when going to Venice.
22. Some of the coolest places to visit are the small towns and villages.
23. Plan better for attending church.
24. The best food we had was in Cesky Krumlov, Como, and Lauterbrunnen.
25. Take time to do more things, rather just see things.
26. Sometimes you can go to the gift shops at tourist places and find postcards with pictures of the inside and you can use those to decide if you think it will be worth it to pay to go inside or not.
27. Some places are awesome on the outside but not worth the money to see the inside (eg- castle in Cesky Krumlov).
28. Some places are definitely worth the money (Doge's Palace, Neuschwanstein Castle).
29. If it's free it's almost always worth it.
30. Randomly wandering the streets is sometimes the best part.

---